Hiking Vikos Gorge World’s Deepest Gorge Guide

It is a great pleasure to discover the beauty of your own country. Vikos Gorge, located in the Northwest part of Greece, in the Zagori region, is close to the villages of Zagorohoria.

Vikos Gorge is the world’s deepest gorge (as listed in the Guinness book of records).

It gets as deep as 2,950 feet at a specific point while it is 3,600 ft from rim to rim. That means a depth of 82% of its width.

It is part of the broader Vikos-Aoos National Park (Geopark).

The hiking route length is 12km. Here (below) is how a tiny part of how it looks.

Zagorohoria villages are well known for their stone bridges and monasteries. They belong to the Pindus mountain range.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

Getting to Vikos Gorge

After the newly delivered highway, the whole area of the Zagorohoria area allows you to be there in less than 5 hours, by car, from Athens (following the Peloponnese route and then up from Antirio). It used to be 7+.

This makes the location an ideal weekend (better, more a long weekend) trip.

The whole driving to get there is comfortable as you stay on highways for the 95% part.

Entrance Points to Vikos Gorge

The best descends into the gorge is through the village of Monodendri.

You can choose not to stay there but in any other nearby village, yet do calculate the driving time and the actual hiking route.

If you want to do this route with a professional guide, then these (and their tours) are the most reliable ones for hiking Vikos Gorge: Epirus: Vikos Gorge & Voidomatis Springs Hike and the Vikos Gorge Full-Day Guided Hike.

You can get a small idea of Vikos Gorge from atop when you visit the monastery of Agia Paraskevi, nicely situated at the cliff edge.

Go through the church and follow the narrow cliff path (be careful), and you will get some great shots.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece
At the cliff, next to Agia Paraskevi church.

Hiking Vikos

Vikos Gorge demands around 6 hours of hiking at an average pace.

That is 6 hours one way. It is best not to do this a round-trip, as with resting time, you will end up with more than 13 hours hiking.

The night will fall even if you start on daybreak.

It is better to enjoy hiking as the route is not a circular one. You will return from the same point, seeing the same things—beautiful, yes, but losing time (and energy).

Both entrance and exit locations (exit is at Vikos village unless you choose to add 1-2 more hours to exit at Papigo village) are steep parts of the gorge.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

You will encounter ice/snow in the Monodendri village entrance in wintertime, but -usually- not at Vikos village exit. It is good to be informed about the conditions first.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

It was not our first attempt to go to the Zarogohoria area to do Vikos gorge. 

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

We were planning for that a couple of years ago, but locals mentioned heavy snow conditions.

Six hours in a gorge with ice and snow, while you have to climb a bit in some points or pass over slippery rocks, is not the best thing to experience.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

It was wintertime, but the weather was relatively “sweet.”

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

You know, the kind that is cold but not too hard, not too warm. It was ideal for long-distance hiking.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

As you (will) see, the varied terrain and different flora and fauna result in an exciting route.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

You know you are halfway when you see this spring below, needing the same amount of time to reach the exit.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

Excluding the steep entrance and exit locations, the rest of the route was not so difficult. We would grade it from 1 to 2 tops.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

But was it beautiful? Yes, it was.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

Wintertime provided that calm winter silence where you walk and you here only… you and the river.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

The spotless “blueish” waters of river Voidomatis river that runs through the Vikos gorge invite you to dive in.

Well, it was freezing, but you need to know that Voidomatis is well known to have the cleanest ice-blue drinkable water.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

Exiting at the Village of Vikos

Going uphill for the village provides equally beautiful panoramic views.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

At the exit location, there are no buses or such.

Hiking Vikos Gorge

You will have to arrange for transportation ahead. Make sure there will be availability.

Better book a taxi to wait for you at Vikos village at a specific time and be there on time as cellphones don’t have good reception inside the gorge.

We got some decent cell signal when we reached the uphill exit towards the village.

Here is Vikos Gorge from the “other side”; 12km of hiking was completed.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

In our case (it was Epiphany day), we visited the -one and only- tavern of Vikos village (great food by the way), where the owner was extremely polite and helpful to arrange a taxi (aka private car) to come from Small Papigo village (!) and take us back to Monodendri village.

The total cost to get from Vikos to Monodendri was 35 euro.

If you go there, just visit this tavern: Hristoforos Tsoumanis. Note: It has only 4-5 tables, but the food is delicious and much needed after hiking.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece
The one and only (really) Tsoumanis tavern

After our lunch, the taxi was right outside to take our tired bodies to get some rest.

That was one wonderful experience for us.

Greece's Vikos Gorge: The World's Deepest Gorge in Greece

If you plan to go there, drop a note to help you out. Don’t forget to get travel insurance.

Enjoy!

4 thoughts on “Hiking Vikos Gorge World’s Deepest Gorge Guide”

  1. Hello,
    I would like to know if it possible to hike in Vikos Gorge in January, do we need a guide there.
    How about transportation, can we find easy transportation to the hike trail or we need a taxi?
    Is there any entrance fees?

    Reply
    • Hi. Yes but it will be very cold with snow. You don’t need a guide unless you have zero experience with winter hiking. It is relatively easy to book transportation; just ask your hotel. There are no entrance fees.

      Reply
  2. “It is best not to do this a round-trip”, what do we mean about that? if we did the 6 hours hike and we do not go back where could we possibly sleep?

    Reply

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